Superchargers on the NJ Turnpike (speculation, discussion)

[MarcoRP]

The New Jersey Turnpike Authority recently authorized the installation of Tesla Supercharger at 8 NJ Turnpike Service Areas. Each location will have 8 stalls. Included in the number of Turnpikes are also the Cranbury and East Brunswick Service Plazas, both of which already have 4 stalls. The Turnpike has authorized the expansions to 8 stalls.

The new locations include (bold): from article Turnpike Authority teams with Tesla to more than triple EV chargers - NJBIZ

Under the amended licensing agreement, Tesla will double the number of charging stalls at Molly Pitcher and Joyce Kilmer, bringing the total at those service areas to eight apiece. The company will also install eight charging stalls each at the Clara Barton (southbound between interchanges 2 and 1), John Fenwick (northbound between interchanges 1 and 2), Walt Whitman (southbound between interchanges 4 and 3), James Fenimore Cooper (northbound between interchanges 4 and 5), Richard Stockton (southbound between interchanges 7A and 7), and Woodrow Wilson (northbound between interchanges 7 and 7A) service areas.

2 things:
- Should each Supercharger location now have their own thread?
- Is it time to add 6 permit dots to Supercharge Info?

@Lanny @tes-s @Big Earl

 

[MichaelP90DL]

Pardon my ignorance, but what exactly is a NJ turnpike service area? Is that like a rest stop? Or maybe an area near the turnpike with gas stations, fast food joints?

 

[MarcoRP]

Pardon my ignorance, but what exactly is a NJ turnpike service area? Is that like a rest stop? Or maybe an area near the turnpike with gas stations, fast food joints?

Gas stations, restaurants, Superchargers, etc.

 

[MichaelP90DL]

Gas stations, restaurants, Superchargers, etc.

Excellent. Thank you!

 

[EdisonFire]

Michael P90....The NJ Turnpike is one the world's busiest roadways. It is limited access/egress highway running from Delaware in the south to the GW Bridge connecting NJ with Upper Manhattan, NYC. In some places it is 14 lanes wide. The service areas are rest areas/food courts/fuel stations, etc along the way.

 

[MichaelP90DL]

Michael P90....The NJ Turnpike is one the world's busiest roadways. It is limited access/egress highway running from Delaware in the south to the GW Bridge connecting NJ with Upper Manhattan, NYC. In some places it is 14 lanes wide. The service areas are rest areas/food courts/fuel stations, etc along the way.

Thanks for that.

 

[GoodOmens]

Michael P90....The NJ Turnpike is one the world's busiest roadways. It is limited access/egress highway running from Delaware in the south to the GW Bridge connecting NJ with Upper Manhattan, NYC. In some places it is 14 lanes wide. The service areas are rest areas/"food" courts/fuel stations, etc along the way.

FTFY

I might hold off if you read the press release from the NJTA it mentions:

Tesla plans to begin installation as soon as it has the necessary permits and approvals. Once all the Tesla charging stations called for in the licensing agreement have been installed, there will be electric vehicle charging facilities at nine of the 12 New Jersey Turnpike service areas.

So it seems there is no permit yet for the expansion. This is pretty sweet though for those on the corridor - seems also all stations will be (including the existing 8 stations) 250W V3 chargers.

 

[MarcoRP]

FTFY

I might hold off if you read the press release from the NJTA it mentions:



So it seems there is no permit yet for the expansion. This is pretty sweet though for those on the corridor - seems also all stations will be (including the existing 8 stations) 250W V3 chargers.

https://electrek.co/2020/02/26/tesla-signs-supercharger-deal-nj-turnpike-charging-stations/

Apparently Tesla has already signed the deal. Does it make it official now?

 

[Chuq]

I'd support these being added as blue dots on supercharge.info - permit doesn't necessarily mean an official permit, it generally means "written evidence, construction not started yet".

However I know there is a difference of opinion here... in the USA, it sounds like every supercharger site requires a permit, so one can always be found, but this isn't the case in other countries. I'll leave this to the locals in this area to decide!

 

[HankLloydRight]

This is great news!

 

[mcot222]

Great news indeed. NJ is competing with CT for most badass charging infrastructure.

 

[MichaelP90DL]

Great news indeed. NJ is competing with CT for most badass charging infrastructure.

CT ought to begin with Tesla being able to sell cars there.

 

[EdisonFire]

Someone mentioned they have an agreement but no permitting as yet, NJ is a bizarre place. 3rd smallest state in the US, yet 565 towns/cities. In comparison, California, with five times the population, has under 500 municipalities. I don't know if to get approved for SuperChargers whether Tesla would have to get a permit in each individual city that the NJTP rest stop sits in or whether the NJTP authority is a little like the Vatican being its own separate entity from the city of Rome and hence responsible for any building/zoning/final approvals that occur within their confines. In fact, many agencies in NJ do kinda operate like the Vatican, being their own city/state.

 

[MarcoRP]

Someone mentioned they have an agreement but no permitting as yet, NJ is a bizarre place. 3rd smallest state in the US, yet 565 towns/cities. In comparison, California, with five times the population, has under 500 municipalities. I don't know if to get approved for SuperChargers whether Tesla would have to get a permit in each individual city that the NJTP rest stop sits in or whether the NJTP authority is a little like the Vatican being its own separate entity from the city of Rome and hence responsible for any building/zoning/final approvals that occur within their confines. In fact, many agencies in NJ do kinda operate like the Vatican, being their own city/state.

Ok but is this a yes or a no?

I think we are good for adding this on Supercharge Info. The question now is, what do we call these Superchargers? Do we name them after the rest stops or the towns they are near?

 

[jaguar36]

I would add them. The precedent has been that once hard proof of a location is found to add it in the 'permit' stage. I would also name them after the rest stops, as thats how the previous ones have been named. In addition naming them after the town could be confusing since you can't get to them from the town, only from the NJTPK.

PS. Could you remove the King of Prussia Permit location as that was never actually confirmed, and is also obviously not happening (at least in that location) at this point.

 

[MarcoRP]

So, I’ve added all of these to the charts, and I’ve named them by rest stops and not towns. My explanation is that none of these Superchargers are in towns (per se) and some of the Superchargers which I’ve added are near towns which already have Superchargers so...

Also, I’ve linked every pin to this discussion. When a permit is released or when construction starts, an independent thread can be created per Supercharger

 

[M3BlueGeorgia]

Ok but is this a yes or a no?

I think we are good for adding this on Supercharge Info. The question now is, what do we call these Superchargers? Do we name them after the rest stops or the towns they are near?

Perhaps add "SP" after the name (for service plaza) or precede with NJTP. Not sure which looks best

- "Molly Pitcher, NJ" means something to people who drive through NJ on a regular basis, but maybe not for anyone else
- "NJTP:Molly Pitcher, NJ" might work
- "Molly Pitcher SP, NJ" might also work, plus its a term you can use on other turnpikes, such as in Florida

Note: Suggesting "service plaza" instead of "service center" to avoid confusion with Tesla's Service Centers.

It is probably misleading to call them rest stops, as people associate that term with different kinds of facilities.

 

[WVhybrid]

Important trivia (that may not be completely accurate), most interstate rest stops are prohibited by federal law from selling anything except soft drinks and snacks, thanks to lobbying from a restaurant association decades ago. The NJTP and a few other state systems (PA turnpike, WV Turnpike, etc.) predate the interstate system, and were allowed to keep their already open service plazas. As a result of that law, installing pay-to-charge charging stations at interstate rest stops is practically impossible, except at the areas already grandfathered.

Plus without a real food service, interstate rest areas are not the most appealing charge station locations. While some states may have worked out a way around the federal regs, I don't think in general there are many exceptions to this rule. Perhaps on the I-5 electric corridor?

If anyone is more familiar with the interstate vending rules and how to work around them, I'd appreciate a comment.

 

[EdisonFire]

Also, when adding the Rest Area by name, it would help to note that it is a north or south bound only accessible location. Unlike highways with rest areas in the center of the opposing traffic lanes, most NJTP rest areas only serve an either north or south bound flowing direction. Molly Pitcher service area as an example is southbound traffic only, situated in the town of Cranbury, Middlesex County.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

Perhaps add "SP" after the name (for service plaza) or precede with NJTP. Not sure which looks best

- "Molly Pitcher, NJ" means something to people who drive through NJ on a regular basis, but maybe not for anyone else
- "NJTP:Molly Pitcher, NJ" might work
- "Molly Pitcher SP, NJ" might also work, plus its a term you can use on other turnpikes, such as in Florida

Note: Suggesting "service plaza" instead of "service center" to avoid confusion with Tesla's Service Centers.

It is probably misleading to call them rest stops, as people associate that term with different kinds of facilities.

New Jersey Turnpike Authority calls them Service Areas. So SA would be better than SP.

Oh, and of course this is good news. Charging density and capacity.